Athens Travel Guide

Angela Merkel's Visit to Athens

The Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel took a trip to Athens earlier this week to help boost relations between Greece and Germany. The contrast between these two countries right now couldn't be any more drastic as Greece is having some rather difficult economic issues while Germany has one of the strongest economies in the world.

The reception for Angela Merkel during her visit to Athens on Tuesday was best viewed on a split-screen TV.

On one screen would be the smiling photo ops. When the German Chancellor arrived at the airport, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras of Greece greeted her with a red carpet and a marching band playing the Greek national anthem. At a packed press conference later, Samaras called Merkel a friend, and she said the words he wanted to hear: “I hope and wish that Greece remains a member of the euro zone. As partners, we are working hard to achieve that.”